Montenegro

    FRESH NEWS FROM MONTENEGRO

    Montenegro: camps, cars and other news

    October 9, 2009

    Here is a report from Vladimir and Marijana Cizmanski;
    Vladimir is the pastor of the Brethren Assembly in
    Podgorica, Montenegro.   Stoneworks missionary
    Christina Melton will go there on October 20 for a three-
    year commitment to serve the church.

    And this is my prayer, that your love may abound more
    and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you
    may be able to discern that is best and may be pure and
    blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of
    righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the
    glory and praise of God.

    Philippians 1:9-11















    Dear Fellow-workers,

    We want to report on the teen camp we had this summer.  
    We know that intercessory prayer is a vital factor in many
    aspects of our work and in bringing about changed lives.
    This time we had 15 participants - 11 from Podgorica and
    4 from Niksic.  We are thankful to the group of 8, from
    Stoneworks, who came from the USA to assist us with their
    presence, lectures and practical help in running this very
    important event.

    The camp took place in the mountains as last year.  
    Unlike the previous group, these teenagers knew each
    other as they had already been attending our Saturday
    children’s clubs.  We can see that as a result of this on-
    going work with them the Word of God has penetrated
    into their young hearts and had a significant impact on
    their young lives.

    The theme of the camp was “How to take the right
    decisions.”  One of the subjects was: “What would Jesus
    do in my place?”

    During the day two girls got into an argument and when I
    approached one of them and talked to her about the
    problem she asked: “What would Jesus do in my place?”

    Without waiting for me to say anything she replied: “I
    know, He would forgive, but that’s very tough!”  This
    disguised a second question: It’s not easy to forgive - it’s
    painful and costly.

    But we still talked about the decision to forgive and about
    how it is not a question of our feelings but our will.  There
    were lots of opportunities to get to know each other
    better, to chat, for spontaneous teaching and sporting
    activities.

    Another girl lost a pendant in the shape of a silver heart.  
    It meant a great deal to her as it was a present from her
    mother.  We thought she must have lost it in the
    mountains when we had walked up to a viewpoint
    overlooking the river Tara. So we all set out to look for it
    in the bushes, grass, brambles and rocks beside the
    narrow mountain track.
    There was very little chance that we would really find that
    little silver heart.   On top of that, evening was beginning
    to set in.  Helena was crying and there was no help for it,
    none of us 15 had found the heart.














    When we got back to our house Helena brightened up
    and said: “I am not worried about the heart any more as I
    have seen that I have friends who are prepared to come
    to my aid.  That is much more important to me than the
    heart.”

    We all agreed with her and praised her for her mature
    attitude.

    But God had a surprise for us: Read More at, http://www.
    stoneworksinternational.com/news-from-
    montenegro/#more-994

    Pray for  Montenegro
    (Listed 1-11-10)

    Current Montenegro Information
    Thanks in large part to wealthy Russians, Montenegro has
    received more foreign investment per capita than any other
    country on the Continent. In recent years, Russian investors
    have gobbled up land on the Montenegrin coast, a
    fashionable alternative to the South of France and coastal
    Turkey. Russians have also made huge investments in the
    country’s industrial sector.

    Gen. Blagoje Grahovac, a senior adviser to the speaker of
    Montenegro’s Parliament, warned in a recent interview with
    the Serbian newspaper Nedeljni Telegraf that the United
    States, the European Union and NATO were being
    “outmaneuvered” in the western Balkans. “Whoever holds
    the upper hand economically will also do so politically,” he
    said.

    The European Parliament late last year commissioned a
    study of Russian investment; among its concerns is that a
    burgeoning property market provides an ideal front for
    illegal transactions. The European Commission has
    repeatedly warned of money laundering in Montenegro.

    1.        Let us pray for the future of Montenegro. Pray that
    clean money would be invested in Montenegro, not
    laundered money.
    2.        Pray also that government officials will refuse to take
    bribe money for governmental functions. Pray also that God
    would expose those officials that are misusing the trust of
    the citizens. This is a problem all across the Balkan
    countries.
    3.        Let us pray the following for Montenegro and all of
    the Balkans:
    Isaiah 59:19 (New King James Version)
    So shall they fear
         The name of the LORD from the west,
         And His glory from the rising of the sun;
         When the enemy comes in like a flood,
         The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.
    4.        Let us pray for a couple from St. Petersburg, Russia
    that are investing something eternal into Montenegro. Last
    summer (2009) they drove across Europe to minister in
    churches, conduct youth camps and uphold the few
    churches and churches in Montenegro. Read their web-blog
    at http://www.cantrell.cc/2008/07/a-postcard-from-
    montenegro-surprising-blessings/?utm_campaign=A%
    20Postcard%20from%
    20Russia&utm_content=Low&utm_medium=Email&utm_sour
    ce=VerticalResponse&utm_term=youth%20camp%20in%
    20Montenegro

    The following is from Arja Ruusula who lives and
    serves the Lord in Montenegro:

    I would rise at least one point to pray for,
    1.        In this economic crisis situation people would start to
    seek God. We as Christians should be ready and be able to
    see God's possibilities in this period.
    2.        Christians who are working at the moment in
    business or in government positions would shine Christs
    light in there.
    3.        Still continue to pray for unity among believers.
    4.        We have been sharing Christmas shoeboxes and
    that has been a good way to get in contact with people.


    If you have more prayers, concerns and knowledge of
    needs that you would like to add, please go to our contact
    us page. If you have information about any of the other
    Balkan countries please share them also.